The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 authorized CEP to provide an alternative to household applications in the National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs. The intent of CEP is to improve students’ access to free school meals in eligible schools and to eliminate the burden for families who are required to complete complicated income applications on an annual basis. CEP was piloted for a three year period in a limited number of states and is now available nationwide beginning July 1, 2014.